The present invention relates to an information processing device, a wireless communication method, a wireless communication program and a recording medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing device, a wireless communication method, a wireless communication program and a recording medium for efficiently detecting a wireless communication terminal at the time of wireless communication with the wireless communication terminal.
In short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth®, a detection process for detecting a wireless communication terminal with which communication should be performed is performed before data communication. For example, in Bluetooth®, a wireless communication terminal operating as a master transmits an inquiry packet for inquiry as to whether or not any wireless communication terminal operating as a slave exists in a range in which it can communicate with the master. The wireless communication terminal receiving the inquiry packet transmits an inquiry response packet in response to the inquiry packet. The master wireless communication terminal detects the slave wireless communication terminal by receiving this inquiry response packet.
Generally, in the above-described process, the master wireless communication terminal waits for passage of a predetermined timeout period after starting the detection process to completely detect all wireless communication terminals located in a range in which they can communicate with the master, and thereafter starts, for example, processing for selection and calling of a wireless communication terminal with which the master will communicate. In Bluetooth®, a wireless communication terminal operating as a slave waits for reception of an inquiry packet while changing a waiting frequency on the basis of a frequency hopping pattern determined according to identification information for that wireless communication terminal. Therefore, it takes a long time for the slave wireless communication terminal to receive an inquiry packet having a frequency equal to the waiting frequency and the above-mentioned timeout period is hence set to a long time, e.g., ten seconds.
As a technique to reduce the time required for the above-described detection processing in Bluetooth®, a communication system has been disclosed in which identification information for slave wireless communication terminals is held in a management facility in advance and one of the wireless communication terminals selected by a user is called without performing any detection process (Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-300174
Bluetooth® may be applied in a way that a Bluetooth® enabled information processing device is installed in a store which transmits information about the store when a wireless communication terminal carried by a user is detected in a range in which communication with the information processing device can be performed. In such a system, it is necessary to quickly transmit store information to a wireless communication terminal carried by a user who is moving, and the system would not function effectively if the detection processing is performed using a long timeout period. Also, there is a need to suitably select wireless communication terminals brought to closer to the store among an indefinite number of wireless communication terminals, which could not be realized even by the method of Patent Document 1 requiring no detection processing.